[JapanCase] The murder of the translator of the devil's poem
The murder of Professor Ikegashi Hitoshi in Japan in 1991 is closely linked to his translation of Salman Rushdie’s controversial work The Satanic Verses. The incident occurred on July 11, 1991, when Ikegashi was killed by an unknown person in front of an elevator at the University of Tsukuba.
According to the police investigation, blood of type O and footprints from Chinese-made kung fu shoes were found at the scene, but no decisive evidence to identify the perpetrator was discovered. At the time, the Iranian government had issued a fatwa calling for the killing of Rushdie and anyone associated with his book. Given this, some speculated that the murder could have been carried out by an Iranian special agent or an Islamic fundamentalist terrorist. Similar attacks on translators of the book had also occurred in other countries.
However, Ikegashi was not a Muslim and had a deep understanding of Islam, having lived in Iran. This led some to believe that the murder might have been carried out by someone who felt betrayed by Ikegashi for translating a book that was considered anti-Islam. On the other hand, some questioned whether the attack was really a terrorist act, noting that the murder occurred in a public area (in front of an elevator) rather than in a secluded research lab, which made it seem like a more deliberate and planned crime.
The Japanese government, concerned about diplomatic tensions with Iran, quickly moved to close the investigation, which left many questions unanswered. During the investigation, a note was found that appeared to be written by Ikegashi. The note contained a reference to the Battle of Dan-no-ura, written in a mix of Japanese and French, and one line suggested he was aware of the threat to his life. However, this note did not provide any useful clues about the identity of the killer.
The case remained unresolved, and years later, in 2012, a TV program covered the incident. It was revealed that a Bangladeshi student who had been warned by Ikegashi was suspected of being involved, but he had already returned to Bangladesh by the time the investigation took place. These details were also disclosed in a secret police report leaked to Shukan Bunshun in 1998.
Later, in 1993, a Turkish translator named Aziz Nesin was attacked, and a Norwegian translator was also targeted. However, after Iran officially declared the conclusion of the Rushdie affair and withdrew the bounty in 1998, such attacks seemed to stop.
